Body, Mind & Spirit Articles and Latest News

If you have experience assisting senior level officials in the development, coordination, and management of grants, cooperative agreements and contracts AND you want to play a significant role in a dynamic organization, then consider joining the Division of Extramural Research!

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If you have experience assisting senior level officials in the development, coordination, and management of grants, cooperative agreements and contracts AND you want to play a significant role in a dynamic organization, then consider joining the Division of Extramural Research!

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According to a recent analysis of the 2007 National Health Interview Survey, U.S. adults who used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for general health and well-being reported significantly better health status than those adults who used CAM to treat an illness. The NCCAM-funded analysis, published in Health Services Research, also found that these two groups of CAM users had differing health behaviors and patterns.

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[Effect of plasma of healthy subjects undergoing moxibustion on ethanol-injured human gastric epithelial GES-1 cells in vitro and the involved mitochondrial apoptosis pathway].

Zhen Ci Yan Jiu. 2011 Jun;36(3):157-63, 192

Authors: Hong J, Yi SX, Huang Y, Lin YP, Du Y, Peng H, Peng Y

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of plasma derived from healthy volunteers undergoing moxibustion (moxibustion plasma) on alchol-injured human gastric epithelial GES-1 cells in vitro, and expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP 70, cell apoptosis inhibitory protein), apoptosis inducing factor (AIF), Smac (a mitochondrial protein), and Caspase 3 and Caspase 9 (the latter 3 proteins are also involved in cell apoptosis) in order to study its mechanisms underlying protecting gastric mucous membrane.
METHODS: Twenty-four healthy volunteer subjects (half men and half women) were randomized into acupoint-moximustion (A-M) [Zhongwan(CV 12), Guanyuan (CV 4) and Zusanli (ST 36)] group and non-acupoint-moxibustion (NA-M, 3 cun right to CV 12 and CV 4.1 cun medial to ST 36 ) group (n = 12/group). Moxibustion was applied to the above-mentioned 3 acupoints and non-acupoints for 30 min, once daily for 10 days. Venous blood of the subjects was collected before and after moxibustion. The cultured GES-1 cells were divided into: control group. ethanol-injury group (model), A-M plasma group (A-M-P, plasma got from volunteers undergoing A-M), and NA-M plasma group (NA-M-P,plasma got from volunteers accepting NA-M). The GES-1 cells of the latter 3 groups were treated with 8% ethanol for duplicating cell injury model. Apoptosis was detected by flowcytometry. Expression of HSP 70, second mitochondria-derived activator of Caspase (Smac) and AIF proteins of GES-1 cells were assayed by western blotting, and the immunoactivity of cysteinyl aspirate-specific proteinase-3 and 9 (Caspase-3, 9) was detected by immunocytochemistry.
RESULTS: In comparison with the control group, the apoptosis rate, the expression of HSP 70, Smac and AIF proteins, and the immunoactivity of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 of the model group were increased significantly (P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, the apoptosis rate of GES-1 cells, the expression of Smac and AIF proteins, and the immunoactivity of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 in the A-M-P group, the apoptosis rate, the expression of Smac and the immunoactivity of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 in the NA-M-P group were all down-regulated considerably (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). In comparison with the model group, HSP 70 expression of the A-M-P group was up-regulated significantly (P < 0.01). The apoptosis rate of GES-1 cells, the expression levels of Smac, AIF, Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 were significantly lower in the A-M-P group than in the NA-M-P group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), while the expression of HSP 70 was apparently higher in the A-M-P group than in the NA-M-P group (P < 0.01).
CONCLUSION: Plasma derived from the subjects undergoing moxibustion of Zusanli (ST 36), Zhongwan (CV 12) and Guanyuan (CV 4) can inhibit apoptosis of GES-1 cells in vitro, which is closely related to its effects in up-regulating intracellular HSP 70 expression and down-regulating mitochondrial apoptosis protein expression of AIF. Smac, Caspase-3 and Caspase-9.

PMID: 21793378 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Couples’ groups for parents of preschoolers: ten-year outcomes of a randomized trial.

J Fam Psychol. 2011 Apr;25(2):240-50

Authors: Cowan CP, Cowan PA, Barry J

Abstract
This paper reports the results of a 10-year follow-up of two variations of a couples’ group preventive intervention offered to couples in the year before their oldest child made the transition to kindergarten. One hundred couples were randomly assigned to (1) a low-dose control condition, (2) a couples’ group meeting for 16 weeks that focused more on couple relationship issues among other family topics, or (3) a couples’ group meeting for 16 weeks that focused more on parenting issues among other family issues, with an identical curriculum to condition (2). Earlier papers reported that both variations of the intervention produced positive results on parent-child relationships and on the children’s adaptation to kindergarten and first grade, and that the groups emphasizing couple relationships also had additional positive effects on couple interaction quality. The present paper uses growth curve analyses to examine intervention effects extending from the children’s transition to kindergarten to the transition to high school-10 years after the couples groups ended. There were 6-year positive effects of the pre-kindergarten interventions on observed couple interaction and 10-year positive effects on both parents’ marital satisfaction and the children’s adaptation (hyperactivity and aggression). Discussion includes a focus on the implications of these results for family policy, clinical practice, and the need to include a couples focus in preventive interventions to strengthen family relationships and enhance children’s adaptation to school.

PMID: 21480703 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy vs. cognitive behavioral group therapy for social anxiety disorder: a randomized controlled non-inferiority trial.

PLoS One. 2011;6(3):e18001

Authors: Hedman E, Andersson G, Ljótsson B, Andersson E, Rück C, Mörtberg E, Lindefors N

Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBGT) is an effective, well-established, but not widely available treatment for social anxiety disorder (SAD). Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT) has the potential to increase availability and facilitate dissemination of therapeutic services for SAD. However, ICBT for SAD has not been directly compared with in-person treatments such as CBGT and few studies investigating ICBT have been conducted in clinical settings. Our aim was to investigate if ICBT is at least as effective as CBGT for SAD when treatments are delivered in a psychiatric setting.
METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled non-inferiority trial with allocation to ICBT (n=64) or CBGT (n=62) with blinded assessment immediately following treatment and six months post-treatment. Participants were 126 individuals with SAD who received CBGT or ICBT for a duration of 15 weeks. The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) was the main outcome measure. The following non-inferiority margin was set: following treatment, the lower bound of the 95 % confidence interval (CI) of the mean difference between groups should be less than 10 LSAS-points.
RESULTS: Both groups made large improvements. At follow-up, 41 (64%) participants in the ICBT group were classified as responders (95% CI, 52%-76%). In the CBGT group, 28 participants (45%) responded to the treatment (95% CI, 33%-58%). At post-treatment and follow-up respectively, the 95 % CI of the LSAS mean difference was 0.68-17.66 (Cohen’s d between group=0.41) and -2.51-15.69 (Cohen’s d between group=0.36) favoring ICBT, which was well within the non-inferiority margin. Mixed effects models analyses showed no significant interaction effect for LSAS, indicating similar improvement across treatments (F=1.58; df=2, 219; p=.21).
CONCLUSIONS: ICBT delivered in a psychiatric setting can be as effective as CBGT in the treatment of SAD and could be used to increase availability to CBT.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00564967.

PMID: 21483704 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Teaching about child abuse with a mock trial.

Med Educ. 2011 May;45(5):517-8

Authors: van Wylick R, Davidson L

PMID: 21486340 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Remote hands-on interactive medical education: video feedback for medical students.

Med Educ. 2011 May;45(5):522-3

Authors: Ho K, Gingerich A, Shen N, Voyer S, Weerasinghe C, Snadden D

PMID: 21486346 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Low digit ratio 2D:4D in alcohol dependent patients.

PLoS One. 2011;6(4):e19332

Authors: Kornhuber J, Erhard G, Lenz B, Kraus T, Sperling W, Bayerlein K, Biermann T, Stoessel C

Abstract
The ratio of the lengths of the second and fourth finger (2D∶4D) has been described as reflecting the degree of prenatal androgen exposure in humans. 2D∶4D is smaller for males than females and is associated with traits such as left-handedness, physical aggression, attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder and a genetic polymorphism of the androgen receptor. All of these traits are known to be correlated to the vulnerability for alcohol dependency. We therefore hypothesized low 2D∶4D in patients with alcohol dependency. In the present study on 131 patients suffering from alcohol dependency and 185 healthy volunteers, we found that alcohol dependent patients had smaller 2D∶4D ratios compared to controls with preserved sexual dimorphism but with reduced right-left differences. The detection of alcohol dependency based on 2D∶4D ratios was most accurate using the right hand of males (ROC-analysis: AUC 0.725, sensitivity 0.667, specificity 0.723). These findings provide novel insights into the role of prenatal androgen exposure in the development of alcohol dependency and for the use of 2D∶4D as a possible trait marker in identifying patients with alcohol dependency.

PMID: 21547078 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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[On the neurophysiological basis of color-impulse therapy in pathogenic treatment of eye diseases].

Vestn Oftalmol. 2011 May-Jun;127(3):59-62

Authors: Novikov IaS, Molotkov OV, Molotkov OA

Abstract
Color-impulse therapy (CIT) is one of the accepted treatment options in current ophthalmology. Many publications deal with the effect of CIT on eye diseases, however its pathogenic basis is poorly studied. An attempt to explain CIT effect from the neurophysiological point is made. Survey of number of publications is performed to prove sanogenic effect of CIT on pathogenesis of different pathological eye conditions.

PMID: 21800730 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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